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☆ Obama shared his vision of America at his first inauguration. Some still believe
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

It went across all visual types.”Elizabeth Alexander recites a poem during President Obama's swearing-in ceremonies at the US Capitol on January 20, 2009. She had grown up in DC, and that inauguration day was a homecoming for her. “I’m sure that some people expected too much,” says Wear, the former Obama campaign worker, of Obama’s vision. The fact of the matter is, that (inauguration) day happened, and millions of people were there. We will have a better idea on another inauguration day — in January of 2025.

Persons: Elizabeth Alexander, Barack Hussein Obama, Alexander, ” Alexander, Muhammad Ali, Aretha Franklin, Elie Wiesel, John Lewis, Colin Powell, ”, “, …, Obama's, Ron Edmonds, Obama, Obama’s, Martin Luther King Jr, Donald Trump’s, —, Trump's, Joe Biden, Jon Cherry, Ed Wolf, Wolf, Barack Hussein Obama —, Barack Obama, Alex Wong, ‘ Hussein, “ Wolf, Clifford L, Alexander Jr, George W, Bush, Laura, Michelle, Tannen Maury, Ronald Reagan, Trump, ” Vivek Ramaswamy, Donald Trump, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Thomas Sowell, speck, it’s, Shepard, Robert Daemmrich, ” Obama, Michael Wear, John McCain, McCain, ” McCain, we’ve, Mandel Ngan, ” Trump, Nehisi Coates, Coates, Hope ’, ” Coates, ’, didn’t, ” Wolf, Emmanuel Dunand, “ We’re, hasn’t, Obama — we’re, Rebecca Solnit, John Blake Organizations: CNN, Yale University, Capitol, AP, Confederate, Trump, Rochester Institute of Technology, Metro, Washington, Army, Getty, United, White, Whites, GOP, Republican, Obama, Democratic, Mellon Foundation Locations: Washington ,, America, Russia, Japan, Kenya, American, New York, United States, AFP, Kansas, New York City, Balkans, Minnesota, Arizona, Washington, San Francisco, Michigan, Norfolk , Virginia, Hope

☆ Haley’s Policy Pitch Recalls a Bygone Era Before Trump’s Rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nikki Haley is pitching voters on policies that recall an era when the Republican Party stood for a fiscal conscience and foreign policy leadership, at a time when the most sacred of federal programs and the international alliances that built the post-World War II era are under enormous strain. But the voice of contemporary Republican politics, Donald J. Trump, has been there to attack those appeals virtually ever day. On Tuesday, the voters of New Hampshire may decide whether the party can find a path back from Mr. Trump’s big government domestic policy and his isolationism abroad. Ms. Haley’s proposals to raise the retirement age for young workers and trim benefits for the wealthy while protecting Social Security and Medicare benefits for those at or near retirement may sound familiar to voters with any historical memory. Mr. Romney’s 2012 proposals were taken from the bipartisan commission assembled to address the budget deficit during Barack Obama’s presidency.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Mitt Romney, Paul D, Ryan, George W, Bush’s, Romney’s, Barack Obama’s Organizations: Republican Party, Social Security, Social Locations: New Hampshire

☆ ‘America Is Under Attack’: Inside the Anti-D.E.I. Crusade
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Nicholas Confessore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +44 min

‘America Is Under Attack’: Inside the Anti-D.E.I. “In support of ridding schools of C.R.T., the Right argues that we want nonpolitical education,” Mr. Klingenstein wrote in August 2021. In a 2023 exchange, Dr. Yenor and two associates discussed how to defend Amy Wax, a conservative law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Yenor and his allies bristled at the conventions of academic life as overly solicitous toward female and nonwhite students. Samuel Ginn, Claremont donor“The president then told him, ‘Things will change,’” a Claremont fund-raiser wrote to Dr. Yenor and other officials there.

Persons: “ wokeism ”, Chancellor Sharp, Sam Ginn, DeSantis, !, Searle, Scott Yenor's, Alabama Jeff Sessions, peter thiel, thiel, Dan Patrick, Patrick, Texas Long, Claudine Gay, Harvard’s, Trump, Ron DeSantis, Peter Thiel, Heather Mac Donald, ”, Scott Yenor, “, ” Scott Yenor, Claremont, Critics, George Floyd, Donald J, Trump’s, Thomas D, Thomas Klingentstein, ” Mr, Klingenstein, Yenor, Christopher Rufo, fromScott Yenor, Floyd, Mao Zedong’s, Ryan P, Williams, Jack Miller, Ryan Williams, Miller, zealots, Mao Zedong's, ” Claremont, Taube, tothe, Arthur N, Chris Ross, Dockweiler, Elizabeth Ailes, Roger Ailes, Daniel C, Searles, fromChris Ross Ryan, I'd, Dorian Abbot, Mr, Ross, Dr, Amy Wax, Wax, Wax’s, David Azerrad, . Azerrad, fromScott, Azerrad, —, ’, Mac Donald, Mac Donald1 —, fromDavid Azerrad Heather, that's, Thiel —, Thiel’s, bristled, Riffing, Bill Burr, hadn’t, Burr, George W, Bush, ” Tennessee’s, Susan Kaestner, Jeff Sessions, Samuel Ginn, Christopher B, Roberts, Roberts “, Ginn, ” Bowdoin, Thomas Klingenstein, Janet Mills, Mills, ‘, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kevin Stitt, he’d, fromThomas, Glenn, sputtered, retool, didn’t, Jim Banks, Banks’s, Banks, Gay, Elise Stefanik Organizations: MIT, Trust, Texas, Claremont, Republicans, Senate, The New York Times, Republican, Claremont Institute, Gov, D.E.I, New, Manhattan Institute, Maine Policy Institute, ”, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Equity, Jack Miller Family, Jack Miller Family Foundation America, Capitol, Freedom Trust, Rupe Foundation, Scaife, Fox News, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Hillsdale College, Boise State University, Boise, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Trump, Boise State, University of Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn University, University of Alabama, Auburn, Bowdoin College in, NAS, Bowdoin, Democratic, Mr, Maine Public Radio, American, Association, Maine Department of Education, Indiana Republican, Education, Harvard, New York Republican Locations: Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maine, Montana , Utah , Oklahoma , Texas, South Carolina , Florida, Louisiana, America, defund, Alabama, Tallahassee, Union, California, Florida, Maine , Tennessee, Idaho, New York, Florida , Louisiana, North Carolina , Oklahoma , Tennessee, Wisconsin, Darling, Dallas, Utah, C.R.T, United States, Hillsdale, Eau, India, Boise State, Boise, Manhattan, Canadian, Dixie, Maine —, Bowdoin College in Maine, Colonial America, ”, Maine’s, la, Portland, Northern Maine, Arkansas, Yenor, Indiana, Israel

☆ Opinion | Why Nikki Haley Could Be the Most Dangerous President
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the alternate timeline where Ron DeSantis proved to be a capable campaigner and looked poised to defeat Donald Trump in New Hampshire and beyond, we would be facing a multitude of left-leaning essays on a single theme: “Why DeSantis is actually more dangerous than Trump.”In this world, the only threat to Trump in New Hampshire is Nikki Haley, and her candidacy doesn’t look built to last much beyond that primary. But in the spirit of slipping in your controversial opinions while you can, and because she might yet be Trump’s running mate, here is my own fear: A Haley presidency could be more dangerous than a second Trump term. This is not because I think that Haley is an authoritarian threat to American democracy. She is obviously not, and her nomination and election would have the salutary effect of re-normalizing Republican politics on important questions like, “Should you contest a lost election by pushing for a constitutional crisis and whipping up an angry mob?”But when the history of 21st-century American decline is written, the crucial chapter will focus not on Trump but on one of his predecessors, George W. Bush: a better man than Trump, a capable politician with a number of sound policies to his credit, but also the architect of a hubristic foreign policy whose disastrous effects continue to ripple through the country and the world.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Haley, George W, Trump Organizations: Trump, ” Locations: New Hampshire, Trump

☆ This train goes nowhere. Now it’s a luxury attraction
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —South Africa is home to some of the most luxurious, nostalgic train journeys on offer anywhere in the world. But for certain enthusiasts, a train going nowhere is the country’s star attraction. Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge is a hotel in Skukuza in Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “The culture of steam trains and the culture of historical trains I think is beginning to re-emerge,” says Mabena. “We don’t have a moving steam train, but one day, I think we will.”

Persons: Kruger, Jerry Mabena, ” Mabena, ”, Thuli, Mnisi, “, Vusi Mbatha Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Heritage, Motsamayi Tourism Group, Staff, Kruger, Park, Bridge Gardeners, springbok, Rand, South African Railway Locations: South Africa, Skukuza, Kruger, Selati

☆ A New York Art Debut, a Los Angeles Love Song
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Siddhartha Mitter | More About Siddhartha Mitter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Video — four channels projected floor-to-ceiling — is just one part of this multi-sensory experience. Completing the immersive effect, shadows projected on the rear wall evoke Los Angeles street art and sights — an Olmec head; a raven on a power line. A bespoke scent — inspired by the earth and flora of Griffith Park — wafts through the gallery. “I find L.A. beautiful and horrific, and I love trying to see it that way,” Smith said. “You can have such profound rage at the city and then be gobstopped at a giant feral bush of bougainvillea.

Persons: Meshell Ndegeocello, Kelsey Lu —, Coleman, Ebony L, Haynes, Walker, ” Smith, ” Locations: Los Angeles, Griffith

☆ A guy who said he boards the plane whenever he wants, regardless of his boarding group, has kicked off a hot debate online
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Several people on Reddit described Bush as "gate lice," a term referring to people who cut the line. Worst case they tell you to wait, then you're first when they call your actual group," Bush wrote. Bush's LinkedIn post garnered 508 reactions and 229 comments at the time of writing. But Bush's advice gained more traction on Reddit, where a screenshot of his LinkedIn post was uploaded. The Reddit post garnered 4,200 upvotes and 674 comments at the time of writing.

Persons: it's, Dickie Bush, Reddit, Bush, —, he's, BlackRock . Bush, Bush's, It's Organizations: LinkedIn, Service, BlackRock, Spotify, Bush's LinkedIn, Business Locations: Miami, BlackRock ., Munich, Reddit, TikTok

Friday's phone call came one day after Netanyahu said that he has told U.S. officials in plain terms that he will not support a Palestinian state as part of any post-war plan. But the regular cadence of calls between Biden and Netanyahu, who have had a hot-and-cold relationship for over three decades, has slowed considerably. And in late 2019, during a question and answer session with voters on the campaign trail, Biden called Netanyahu an “extreme right” leader. Netanyahu argues that a Palestinian state would become a launchpad for attacks on Israel. They hold out hope Israel could eventually come around to accepting a Palestinian state that comes with strong security guarantees for Israel.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, Biden's, ”, John Kirby, Eytan Gilboa, “, Donald Trump, Trump, hasn't, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Connecticut Sen, Chris Murphy, Michael Koplow, Ron Dermer, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Brett McGurk, Amos Hochstein, ” Blinken, Barack Obama, —, Israel, ” Netanyahu, Daniel Kurtzer, Bill Clinton, George W, Bush, Julia Frankel, Ellen Knickmeyer, Seung Min Kim, Colleen Long Organizations: WASHINGTON, Israeli, U.S, Security, Democrat, Islamic, Israel’s, Ilan University, Israel, Netanyahu, Key Democratic, Biden, Economic, Middle, ” Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Palestinian Authority Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, United States, U.S, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Davos, East Jerusalem, ”, Jordan, Egypt, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ High profile conservatives serve as surrogates as Trump looks to lock down GOP nomination
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Daniel Strauss | Kristen Holmes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Additionally, two former Republican presidential candidates have traveled to the early primary states alongside Trump almost immediately after they ended their respective campaigns to defeat him. Doug Burgum dropped out in December, he endorsed Trump and traveled with him in Iowa and to New Hampshire. Kari Lake speaks to reporters before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a caucus night party in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/APIn Keokuk, Iowa, earlier this month, Greene panned the rest of the GOP field as knockoffs of Trump. Still, Republican strategists and campaign operatives often lament that surrogates and endorsements aren’t as influential as they used to be.

Persons: Matt Gaetz, ”, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ronny Jackson, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Kari Lake, Byron Donalds, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Doug Burgum, Elise Stefanik, Kristi Noem, Ramaswamy, ’, –, he’s, Gregg Keller, Mitt Romney’s, “, Donald Trump, —, Stefanik, “ Trump, ” Terry Sullivan, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio’s, it’s, Lake, Bob Vander Plaats, Trump’s, Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Greene, Bush, ” Greene, aren’t, pollster, Trump’s surrogates, It’s Organizations: CNN, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Iowa, Center, Arizona, Florida Rep, Trump, Florida Gov, South Carolina Gov, Republican, North Dakota Gov, New, South Dakota Gov, Republicans, it’s, ”, AP, GOP Locations: Iowa, lockstep, Florida, New Hampshire, Trump’s, West Des Moines, Des Moines , Iowa, Keokuk , Iowa

And I think he’s right there with Reagan as far as his track record, what he did overall throughout his presidency. I think it really does set her up well as you do move on into some other states. nick corasanitiSo New Hampshire has a long history of really just going against Iowa, right? Those independents is where the question of the final results really, really come in. They were economic voters, taxation voters, pro-gun voters, not any of those kind of evangelical issues that we heard in Iowa.

Persons: I’m, We’ve, I’m Astead, ”, Iowans, Donald Trump, Trump, Nikki ”, Haley, it’s, Ames, Harrison Barnes, Doug McDermott, Troy Hill, Nikki Haley, Vivek, — he’s, wouldn’t, “, aren’t, Reagan, DeSantis, Nikki, Ramaswamy, Ron, he’s, Biden, Ron DeSantis, —, I’ve, who’s, It’s, hasn’t, caucusing, Roe, Astead Herndon, Aaron, it’s Trump, They’re, Mike Pence, you’ll, we’re, Anna, Teresa didn’t, Teresa, haven’t, Nikki Haley’s, Donald Trump’s, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nick Corasaniti, astead herndon, Nick, Trump’s, astead, There’s, they’re, Rand Paul, herndon, Bill Clinton, — astead herndon Isn’t, John McCain, George W, Bush, isn’t, They’ve, unquote, astead herndon It’s, He’s, Chris Christie, Christie, that’s, “ Trump, it’ll, she’s, I’d Organizations: Trump, The New York Times, Republican, CNN, Iowa, America, Iowa State University, NBA, Republicans, Republican Party, Associated Press, NBC, CBS, Iowa Republican, New, astead herndon, New Hampshire, Democrat, New Hampshire Republican, Prosperity Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire, I’m Astead Herndon, , Iowa, Ames , Iowa, Des Moines, Trump, Troy, Ukraine, Congo, , New Hampshire, COVID, Indiana, Ames, “, Hampshire, astead herndon, Portsmouth

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump on Thursday urged the Supreme Court “to put a swift and decisive end” to efforts to kick him off the 2024 presidential ballot over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. The Colorado court noted that Trump had held a rally outside the White House and exhorted his supporters to “fight like hell” before they walked to the Capitol. Trump's Supreme Court team is led by Texas-based lawyer Jonathan Mitchell, who devised aspects of the anti-abortion legislation that largely shut down abortions in Texas months before the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in June 2022. Colorado’s Supreme Court, by a 4-3 vote, ruled last month that Trump should not be on the Republican primary ballot. Both the Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine secretary of state’s rulings are on hold until the appeals play out.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, Trump, ”, Jonathan Mitchell, Roe, Wade, Mitch McConnell, Mike Johnson, Shenna Bellows, Bush, Gore, Republican George W, Clarence Thomas, Jack Smith Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Colorado Supreme, Republican, U.S . Capitol, White, Capitol, Trump, Republicans, Colorado’s, Democratic, Colorado Supreme Court Locations: Colorado, Texas, Congress, Maine, Washington

☆ Analysis: Trump’s absurd ‘total immunity’ argument for law-breaking presidents, deconstructed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

These presidents would presumably argue that in their capacities as president, they must expect some legal immunity to pursue policy and lead the country. EVEN EVENTS THAT ‘CROSS THE LINE’ MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY, OR IT WILL BE YEARS OF TRAUMA TRYING TO DETERMINE GOOD FROM BAD. In arguing for total immunity, his lawyer said a president could only be prosecuted if he or she was convicted by the Senate in an impeachment trial. ALL PRESIDENTS MUST HAVE COMPLETE & TOTAL PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, OR THE AUTHORITY & DECISIVENESS OF A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WILL BE STRIPPED & GONE FOREVER. It’s actually an appeals court currently considering the total immunity claim.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Trump, Joe Biden, ”, Norm Eisen, ” Eisen, Ulysses Grant, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, ” Trump, Smith, Abraham Lincoln, Mike Pence, Biden, he’s, George W ., Barack Obama, It’s Organizations: CNN, White House, Republican, Democrats, Appeals, DC Circuit, STATES, Trump, White, Department of Justice, of Justice, Senate Locations: Washington , DC, Trump’s, United States, Washington, Georgia, Manhattan, Washington ,, Florida

☆ 17 Trump Cabinet-Level Appointees Criticizing Trump - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Sarah Longwell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

Mr. Trump churned through cabinet-level appointees so fast that at times it seemed like he was still on “The Apprentice” and had to fire one official every week. Not only are they people whom Mr. Trump chose — he claimed he would hire the “best people” — they are people who thought Mr. Trump was worth working for. Judging only by the words of many former high-level appointees, a second Trump term would be catastrophic for the country. BlamedTrump forJan. 6 CriticizedTrump duringhis term CriticizedTrump afterhis term HighlightedTrump’s legalissues Ruled outvoting Trumpin 2024 Moron,” Mr. Tillerson reportedly said of Mr. Trump. He wrote an op-ed published just after the 2020 election claiming that Mr. Trump would “concede gracefully” if he lost.

Persons: them.They, Donald Trump, Trump’s, ’ Said, Donald Trump’s, Trump, didn’t, —, Mr, Richard Nixon, Mark Milley, Milley, ” Richard Spencer, Eddie Gallagher’s, ” H.R, McMaster, ” James Mattis, ” Mark, George Floyd, ” John Kelly White, autocrats, Loyalists Elaine Chao, George W, Bush, ” Alex Azar, Rex Tillerson, “, ” Mr, Tillerson, Dan Coats, ” Betsy DeVos, Mick Mulvaney, ’, William Barr, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, ” John Bolton, Ronald Reagan, …, Mike Pompeo, ” Mike Pence, Mike Pence ”, Pence, ” Organizations: Mr, Republican, Trump, Army, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Jan, Marines, Navy, White House, Defense, Marine, ISIL, ” John Kelly White House, Homeland, Marine Corps, The, Loyalists, Transportation, Labor, Capitol, Health, Human Services, State, ExxonMobil, National Intelligence, Mar, Education, Republican Party of Michigan, Management, ” John Bolton White House, U.S, United Nations, White Locations: Iowa, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Jan, United States, America, Moron, Germany, Mar, South Carolina, George H.W ., Kansas, Indiana

☆ Trump’s appointees are poised to give conservatives another long-sought reversal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Reversal of the so-called Chevron deference approach was a priority for the judicial selection team that served Trump – on par with some right-wing activists’ quest for reversal of constitutional abortion rights. The reconstituted Supreme Court delivered on that agenda item in 2022 when it overturned Roe v. Wade. Former White House counsel Don McGahn, who controlled Trump’s judicial selections, regularly touted the administration’s anti-regulation agenda. He was especially drawn to the first two Trump appointees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, for their records in that regard. In his written brief and during arguments, Martinez invoked an adage of Chief Justice Roberts from his 2005 confirmation hearings, that judges serve as umpires, just calling balls and strikes.

Persons: Donald Trump, who’ve, Roe, Wade, Don McGahn, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, “, ” McGahn, McGahn, Anne Gorsuch, Reagan, Gorsuch, ”, “ I’ve, Trump, Mitch McConnell, Leonard Leo, Biden, Roberts, John Roberts, ” Roberts, Roman Martinez, Martinez, –, Magnuson, Elizabeth Prelogar, don’t, Prelogar, Elena Kagan, ” Kagan, there’s, ” Martinez, Paul Clement, Justice Roberts, Ketanji Brown Jackson, They’re, ” Kavanaugh, George W, Bush, ” Said Kavanaugh Organizations: CNN, Trump, White House, Chevron, Environmental Protection Agency, Republican, Federalist Society, Chevron USA, Inc, Natural Resources Defense, ”, “ Chevron, National Marine Fisheries Service, Stevens Conservation, Management, Congress Locations: lockstep, Chevron

☆ US Army flight tested the seeker that will help turn its newest missile into a ship-killer
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US Army recently obtained its new Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a surface-to-surface weapon. Earlier this month, the Army revealed it made progress on a new variant of the ballistic missile. AdvertisementThe US Army has flight tested the seeker that will allow its newest missile to hunt down warships, among other targets. Last month, the Army received its first delivery of the next-generation Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a short-range, surface-to-surface ballistic missile. On Tuesday, for example, US forces struck and destroyed four anti-ship ballistic missiles that the Houthis were preparing to launch.

Persons: —, Lockheed Martin, James Kirsch, AvMC, DEVCOM AvMC, Biden, Gerald R, Technology Doug Bush Organizations: US Army, Strike, Army, Service, MGM, Tactical Missile Systems, Lockheed, Ship, Command's Aviation, Missile Center, Ford, High, Artillery Rocket Systems, Systems, Acquisition, Logistics, Technology Locations: Ukraine, Yemen, Iran, China, Beijing

☆ Opinion | How Trump’s Opponents Made Iowa Easy for Him
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Donald Trump’s victory in the Iowa caucuses was resounding enough to make the race for the Republican nomination look essentially finished at the start. But it wasn’t resounding enough to remove the sense that it could have been otherwise, that yet again his opposition within the Republican Party made things ridiculously easy for his candidacy. Trump is essentially running an incumbent’s campaign, presenting himself as the default leader of the party, declining to debate, rolling up endorsements. Eugene McCarthy’s 42 percent of the New Hampshire primary vote in 1968 forced Lyndon Johnson out of the race. Ted Kennedy’s 31 percent in Iowa and 37 percent in New Hampshire in 1980 betokened a long and bitter campaign for Jimmy Carter.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Eugene McCarthy’s, Lyndon Johnson, Ted Kennedy’s, Jimmy Carter, Pat Buchanan’s, George H.W, Bush Organizations: Republican, Republican Party, New Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire, George H.W . Bush

☆ Lithuania Broke Human Rights Laws in Case Tied to CIA Detention Program, European Court Rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lithuania broke European human rights laws by allowing the CIA to subject an alleged 9/11 suspect to "inhuman treatment" in a secret interrogation center in the Baltic country, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday. Al-Hawsawi is now held in Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of being a facilitator and financial manager of al Qaeda. While held in Lithuania, he experienced an extremely harsh detention regime, according to the press release, including solitary confinement, the continuous use of leg shackles and exposure to noise and light. “While not commenting on the specific case, I’d note that CIA’s detention and interrogation program ended in 2009," a CIA spokesperson said. It came to symbolize the excesses of the U.S. "war on terror" because of harsh interrogation methods that critics have said amounted to torture.

Persons: Mustafa Ahmed Adam al, Hawsawi, George W, Bush, Jonathan Landay, Daphne Psaledakis, Bill Berkrot Organizations: WASHINGTON, CIA, of Human, Convention, Lithuanian, Baltic News Service, Lithuania's, U.S, Senate, Republican, Pentagon Locations: Lithuania, Baltic, Guantanamo Bay, al Qaeda, Lithuanian, Washington, Guantanamo, Cuba, New York

That jury’s finding stemmed from statements Trump made in 2022, while the current case is dealing with statements Trump made while he was president in 2019. “Donald Trump sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll. “Now she wants President Trump to pay for the risks she took for the way she did this,” Habba said of Carroll. “She wants President Trump to pay for the mean tweets.”Jurors are familiar with TrumpThe jury selection process provided a window into the jury panel that will decide Trump’s defamation case. None of those prospective jurors were ultimately selected to the trial jury.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jean Carroll, –, Trump, Carroll, Shawn Crowley, “ Donald Trump, ” Crowley, Jean Carroll's, CNN Crowley, “, “ Trump, Carroll “, Alina Habba, Habba, ” Carroll, ” Habba, Joe Biden, they’d, Biden, “ You’re, Lewis Kaplan, What’s, Billy Bush, she’s, Kaplan, ” Kaplan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Trump, CNN, Southern, of, Carroll Locations: New York, Coast, New Hampshire, Manhattan, of New York, Trump

☆ Opinion: Trump bests DeSantis and Haley. How their backers see his Iowa win
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Opinion Cnn Contributors | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

That explains why Trump got about half of all the Republican votes in Iowa, leaving DeSantis far behind. That should tell you a lot about Iowa voters, but enough of them also voted for DeSantis and Haley. When I spoke to the Haley campaign early Monday morning, before the Iowa caucuses had begun, they said they were shifting toward Trump, seemingly writing DeSantis off as their closest threat. DeSantis himself said last week that his finish in Iowa could “upend” Trump’s lead in the GOP primary. Join us on Twitter and FacebookAnd as one DeSantis campaign committee member said, “a close second would be a successful outcome,” and “third place is not good.”Needless to say, DeSantis did not win.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Ron DeSantis, Patrick T, Brown, Donald Trump, Michael Brendan Dougherty, Christopher Rufo, DeSantis didn’t, I’d, Elon Musk, Semafor’s David Weigel, dinging Trump, It’s, Trump, Nikki Haley, Haley, George W, she’s, Nikki Haley wasn’t, They’re, Ron DeSantis ’, MAGA, Joe Biden’s, ”, She’ll, DeSantis, Kim Reynolds, “, it’s Haley Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Republican, Manhattan Institute, Twitter, Elon, Trump, Republican Party, Public Policy Center, South Carolina Gov, Iowa Republicans, Iowa, DeSantis, Iowa Caucus, Iowa Gov, GOP, Facebook, New Hampshire Locations: Iowa, Florida, America, New Hampshire, Washington ,, New

☆ Opinion | A Republican Pollster on Trump’s Undimmed Appeal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the past, Democrats and Republicans at least understood why members of the other party liked their chosen candidates. But for a lot of Democrats, it feels impossible to imagine why anyone would cast a vote for Trump. Kristen Soltis Anderson is a veteran Republican pollster, a founding partner of the opinion research firm Echelon Insights and a CNN contributor. She spends her days trying to understand the thinking of Republican voters, including hosting focus groups for New York Times Opinion. You can listen to our whole conversation by following “The Ezra Klein Show” on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify, Google or wherever you get your podcasts.

Persons: Donald Trump, weren’t, Barack Obama, George W, don’t, “, Ezra Klein, Kristen Soltis Anderson, Republican pollster, Trump Organizations: Republicans, Trump, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google, Republican, CNN, New York

☆ Christian Nationalists Could Put Trump Back in the White House: Expert
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

In the US, the immediate crisis is the phenomenon of Donald Trump and the strong conservative Christian support for Trump, which continues to this day. Can you tell me a little bit more about the reasons that you've found why Donald Trump has such a significant base among Christian conservatives? What's interesting is evangelicals have had to learn how to hold their nose and support Trump. There are state-level Christian theocrats who are in some ways implementing as much of an authoritarian reactionary Christian agenda as they can. And when this ferocious backlash begins on the white Christian side, it's very tightly connected to the civil rights era.

Persons: David Gushee, Donald Trump, we're, I'm, it's, I've, you've, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Trump, Christian, they're, It's, Robustly, he's, Vladimir Putin, George W, Bush, Mike Pence, Pence, theocrats, there's, William Barber, Jim Crow, Barack Obama Organizations: Mercer University, GOP, Trump, Republican Party, House, Officially, Christian, Black Locations: America, United States, England, Russia, West, Christianity

☆ Analysis: How Iowa became a chaotic curtain-raiser for a fateful political year
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Des Moines, Iowa CNN —The storied history of the Iowa caucuses has never seen anything like this. Haley: ‘The fellas are scared’Unlike DeSantis, Haley isn’t wagering her campaign on Iowa. Icicles hang from the roof as people arrive for a Haley campaign event at the Thunder Bay Grille on January 13, 2024, in Davenport, Iowa. Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesYet Iowa has has raised existential questions for the DeSantis campaign. And time is short, because the Iowa campaign is ending just as it began — with the former president on top.

Persons: shivers, Donald Trump, they’re, ”, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Iowans, ” Trump, Trump, –, DeSantis, Haley, Chris Christie’s, she’d, Vivek Ramaswamy, Xi Jinping, Nigel Farage, “, ” –, patriotically, we’re, caucusgoers, Ramaswamy, —, Haley slugged, admonitions, Judge Arthur Engoron, Sharon Mancero, ” Mancero, Mancero, Joe Biden, he’s, Clinton, ‘, Haley isn’t, She’s, ” Haley, Will Hurd —, Trump —, That’s, Win McNamee, that’s, George W, Bush, “ We’re, Mark Harris, Haley’s, Lovisa, Swede, ” Tedestedt, Chip Roy, Louis, Stanley, Chip Somodevilla, Joel Rudman, “ I’ve, ” Rudman, It’s, ” DeSantis, Biden, it’s, ” CNN’s Kit Maher, Veronica Stracqualursi Organizations: Des Moines , Iowa CNN, House, Former South Carolina Gov, Trump, Trump –, New, New Jersey Gov, “ Trump, Iowa Republicans, Capitol, Iowa, Des Moines Register, NBC, Republican, GOP, Republicans, Des Moines, Senate, CNN, New York Stock Exchange, Social Security, Jimmy Centers, Iowa Republican, South Carolina, Former Texas GOP, “, White House, Ankeny, Haley, America, South Carolina Republican, Texas, Florida Panhandle, Centers Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, Iowa, week’s, Hampshire, Florida, New York, Washington, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Sioux City, New Jersey, British, Indianola, Clinton , Iowa, DeSantis, Des, Fox, Wall, Manhattan, New Hampshire, Cedar Falls, Ankeny, South, Davenport , Iowa, Granite, St, Hubbard , Iowa

Iowa Republicans were a clear reflection of that on Monday night, delivering the former president an emphatic victory. As clear-cut as his win was, though, Iowa has not historically played the role of kingmaker in the Republican nominating process. He chose to appear at court hearings as a defendant in his legal cases in New York and Washington rather than speak to Iowa voters in the final days before the voting. With its more moderate, educated electorate, New Hampshire presents Trump’s rivals with possibly their best opportunity to slow his march. Trump's strength among Republican voters is beyond dispute, but the road is long and could be bumpy.

Persons: — Donald, Joe Biden, kingmaker, Trump, He’s, didn’t, Biden, Nikki Haley, Bush, John McCain, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart, Haley, “, Iowans, caucusgoers, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, RAMASWAMY, Vivek Ramaswamy’s quixotic, Ramaswamy, Eminem, Chris Christie Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican Party, White House, Iowa Republicans, AP VoteCast, Former South Carolina Gov, Colorado, Democratic, U.S, Supreme, Trump, Republican, Florida Gov, MAGA, White, Trump Trump, Republican White House Locations: Iowa, New York, Washington, New Hampshire, Hampshire, South Carolina, U.S, Florida, New Jersey, America

Ron DeSantis, who had staked his campaign on a strong showing in Iowa, came in at a distant second, with 21.2% of the vote. “You helped us get a ticket pushed out of the Hawkeye State,” DeSantis told supporters in Iowa Monday night. And about two-thirds – 66% – of the GOP Iowa voters believe President Joe Biden did not legitimately win the presidency in 2020. The state also prides itself on giving a boost to lesser-known contenders who make the effort to meet one-on-one with Hawkeye State voters. It’s not clear how long DeSantis – who had hoped to win Iowa outright and gain momentum in the race – would be able to continue.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ryan Binkley, Asa Hutchinson, Ramaswamy, DeSantis, Haley, ” DeSantis, Joe Biden, –, Sen, Ted Cruz, Ted Cruz of Texas, George H.W . Bush, Bob Dole, George W . Bush, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, – he's, caucusgoers, Jimmy Carter, MAGA, Ramaswamy –, – DeSantis, Haley –, It’s Organizations: Iowa Republican, Florida Gov, Former South Carolina Gov, Arkansas Gov, MSNBC, CNN, Trump, Hawkeye State, Republican, GOP, Republican Party, White, Republicans, GOP Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa Locations: Iowa, Des Moines, New Hampshire, Ted Cruz of, Bob Dole of Kansas, Arkansas, Georgia, Des, Florida

“It’s not really a typical caucus because you do have a former president running,” Mr. Shaw said. “He does have the ability to come in and draw big crowds,” he said, adding that “that is not your typical Iowa caucus style.”Still, as Mr. Trump has sought to shore up support in the state, he, too, has made last-minute local pitches. In a video posted by Mr. Trump’s super PAC one day before the caucuses, Mr. Trump said he would “endorse ethanol” because “ethanol endorsed me”— though presented no specifics about what that would entail in terms of policy. The heightened attention on national priorities may not make much of a difference to Iowa in the long term. Iowa has influenced policy by forcing candidates to study up on the Farm Bill, a legislative package that oversees agricultural and food programs nationwide.

Persons: “ It’s, Mr, Shaw, “, ”, Trump, Barack Obama’s, Tom Vilsack, Obama, Biden, Terry Branstad, George W, Bush, — Organizations: Trump’s, Republican Locations: Iowa

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